Yale Lands Five on All-Ivy Team; Crusey and Dailey Earn First Team Honors

Alexis Crusey. (photo by Sam Rubin '95, Yale Sports Publicity)

Nov 24, 2009

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — On the heels of an
11-3, second-place finish in the Ivy League, the Yale volleyball
team has placed five players on the All-Ivy team, as announced
today by the league office. Seniors Alexis Crusey and Cat Dailey
each claimed First Team honors, while sophomore Bridget Hearst
landed on the Second Team. Junior Kelly Ozurovich and freshman
Kerry Clavadetscher each picked up Honorable Mention nods to round
out the quintet of Yale honorees.

“I am very happy to be so well-represented on the All-Ivy
team”, said Yale Head Coach Erin Appleman. “It is an
honor to be recognized in a league with so many great
players”.

Crusey’s selection makes her the first Bulldog, and just the
fifth player ever in 31 years of Ivy League volleyball, to earn
four career First Team distinctions. The senior closed out her
career with 1,286 kills, the third-most in Yale history and the
most ever by a Bulldog in the rally scoring era (2001-present). She
also ranks seventh all-time in digs with 1,219.

“Lexi is a phenomenal player, and she deserves all of the
recognition she has received at Yale” said Appleman.
“Her ability and work ethic have helped to instill a winning
culture at Yale. She is one of the big reasons why Yale volleyball
expects to contend for an Ivy League Title every year.”

Crusey hit .241 in Ivy League matches this season. She averaged
3.20 kills per set against Ancient Eight competition and ranked
ninth in digs with 3.69 per frame. She also ranked fifth in aces
with 0.31 per set.

Dailey, the 2008 Ivy League Player of the Year, was one of three
unanimous selections to the All-Ivy First Team. She was one of two
players to rank in the top 10 in kills and hitting percentage,
swinging at a .266 clip with 3.98 kills per set. Dailey also led
the league in aces with 0.37 per frame and chipped in defensively
with 3.61 digs per set.

Hearst earns her first All-Ivy nod with a Second Team selection
after hammering 2.98 kills per set with a .295 hitting percentage
against Ivy League foes. The sophomore’s marquee effort of
the Ivy League season was a 27-kill, .657 hitting percentage
performance in a four-set win at Columbia on Oct. 17.

The Honorable Mention for Ozurovich is her third All-Ivy laurel in
three seasons at Yale. The Bulldogs’ libero, who was a Second
Team honoree as a freshman and an Honorable Mention last season,
ranked fifth in Ancient Eight competition with 5.02 digs per set.
Ozurovich ended her junior season at fifth on Yale’s all-time
digs list with 1,241.

Clavadetscher, Yale’s setter in 2009, is the
Bulldogs’ first freshman All-Ivy honoree since Ozurovich in
2007. Clavadetscher was the second-most prolific setter in the
Ancient Eight with 11.38 assists per frame. She also averaged 0.51
kills and 1.81 digs per set and was a force at the net as well with
0.55 blocks per set.

The Ivy League Champion Penn Quakers led the way in All-Ivy
voting with an unprecedented four First Team selections. Elizabeth
Semmens, who was also named the 2009 Player of the Year, and setter
Megan Tryon joined Dailey as unanimous honorees. Rookie of the Year
Lauren Martin and libero Madison Wojciechowski also represent the
Quakers on the First Team, while Princeton’s Sheena Donohue
wraps up her career with a First Team selection.

Five All-Ivy players marks the most for a Yale team in program
history. At 21-4 in 2009, the Bulldogs set the program record for
winning percentage (.840) and notched consecutive 20-win season for
the first time since 1995-96.

“This team is full of contributors”, said Dailey.
“Our entire team, coaches and players alike, deserves
recognition for having five players on the All-Ivy team".